by Kahlen Aymes
“I showed Dad and Uncle Chase how to do it. We’re almost done,” he professed proudly.
“Almost,” confirmed Jensen. “You go on in. You look like you need a rest.”
Truth be told, all I wanted was a meal, sleep, and my arms around Marin.
“Dark even gave me a hug, Uncle Ben!” Remi said. She and Dylan fell in step beside me as I walked toward the farmhouse. “Just like Siri does to Auntie Marin!” The little girl’s green eyes sparkled with excitement.
“He did? Where is Aunt Marin?” I asked.
“Oh, she’s sleeping. Mommy said we had to let her sleep in, so we gotta be quiet in the house.”
By the time we got close to the house the smell of bacon and coffee permeated the air. Missy turned to see who was coming through the door and her face softened in a relief. She put on a brave face, but I knew she was worried whenever I went out to fight a fire.
“Oh, Ben!” Missy lifted a pancake out of the skillet to a waiting plate as Teagan came to take Jace from my arms.
“Welcome back,” she said. “Come to Mommy, Jace.” Teagan held out her arms and he immediately went to her. “Let’s wash up for breakfast. Dylan, you and Remi, too.”
Missy walked to me and gave me a big hug as Teagan and the kids disappeared into the mud room to wash up away from the food.
“I don’t need to wash up. I just took a shower at the station.” I poked her in the ribs with my index finger.
“Cheeky,” she said. “Marin is in her room. We were up all-night watching movies, until she was so exhausted that she finally went upstairs around dawn.”
“Well, don’t you be over-doing it, Mommy,” I teased, going to the table and grabbing a slice of bacon from a pile waiting on a plate in the center. I devoured it and reached for another.
Missy’s lips lifted in a joyful smile. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel real. We’ve been trying for over a year.”
“Good things come to those who wait.” I winked.
I glanced toward the stairs, grabbing a paper towel and wiping the bacon grease from my fingers.
“Is she still mad?”
My sister shook her head and went back to making pancakes, adding a small handful of fresh blueberries once the batter hit the pan.
“Not mad. She was scared. She told us about the nightmares.”
I nodded. “She just told me right before I left, but I still had to go. My best friend was trapped out there with five guys.”
“You don’t have to explain, Ben. I get it. Go on. I’ll feed the kids and when you get down here with Marin, the adults will eat.”
I went to the mud room and kicked off my shoes. “Save me some pancakes, Dylan,” I instructed.
“You snooze, you lose,” he said saucily.
I laughed as he beamed at me. Remi was drying her hands as Dylan stepped up to the sink.
“I do, huh?”
“Yep!” Remi said with a grin.
“What will I do with you, two?”
“Come on, hurry up, Remi,” Teagan instructed.
By the time I got to the top of the stairs and stood outside Marin’s bedroom door, I was uncharacteristically nervous. My hand closed around the knob and turned. Thankfully, it wasn’t locked, and I peered inside. The shades were drawn, but the sun filtered through slightly to cast the room in a golden glow.
Marin was lying on her side, curled up under the covers. The air conditioning kept the house cool despite the summer weather. I walked closer and lifted the edge of the comforter and began to slide underneath and next to the gorgeous woman who had become my entire world.
My arms reached for her as her eyes fluttered open. Happy surprise lit up her face.
“Oh, Ben!” Marin’s arms reached for me and I pulled her close, flush against me. I held her tight as her fingers curled into the back of my shirt, and the hair at my nape. “Ben,” she whispered against my throat.
“I told you I’d be okay,” I said against the side of her face before my lips found purchase on her cheek. She pressed her forehead against my jaw as a sigh of relief left her body. “Do you forgive me?”
“Mmm, huh,” she murmured the affirmative.
“You should have told me about the nightmares.” I placed a series of soft, teasing kisses on her cheek, jaw, then a gentle open-mouthed kiss on her lips. Her body surged against mine and desire burned bright.
Finally, I kissed her deeply and her mouth opened to me like a flower. My hands slid down her body and I pulled her hips tight against mine, hitching one of her legs over mine. I pressed into her so she could feel the evidence of the effect she had on me.
“I wish we could make love right now, but breakfast is on the table,” I said regretfully, but I had to make an admission. “and… I’m so hungry.”
Marin’s fingers threaded through my hair in the way I’d come to love. “I’m sorry about the way I acted, but I was just so scared. I’ll make it up to you.”
Our faces were inches apart, our noses almost touching, and sharing each other’s breath. As much as I desired her, I was just so damn happy to be in her presence. I loved her beyond anyone I’d ever known, so I was a bit out of my element. I touched the tip of her nose with my finger.
“I wish you didn’t have to work at the diner tomorrow. We missed our fishing trip today.”
“About that…” she began.
“Yeah?” I asked, hopefully.
“Your sister put it in my head that rather than rebuild the shop, we should turn the ranch into a dude ranch. We could build a few cabins, a larger stable and another paddock.”
My eyebrows raised and a grin split my face. “Well, that sounds like a good plan to me.”
“But I should still go work at the diner until we get it going. This year would probably just be the build-out.”
I was amazed by her. “It sounds like you’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“Well, not that much, but the girls and I talked about it last night after the second movie was over.” I could see the idea excited her. “But maybe we could do a bed and breakfast during the winter. Jackson never has enough hotel rooms.”
I nodded, still a bit stunned, my brow cocked as I nodded, not breaking her gaze. “We?” I said, pleased that she’d included me.
Marin’s eyes widened. “Oh, well, I mean, I guess, me, but I hoped you’d be around.”
“Oh, I’ll be around, all right,” I assured, placing another lingering kiss on her mouth.
“You will?” she whispered as my mouth left hers briefly between kisses.
“I will.” I surprised her by rolling her over and pressing her into the bed. “I will. I’ll muck out your stalls, feed your horses, exercise them, and any other damn thing you need me to do, for as long as you need me to do it.”
Marin’s eyes lit up and she giggled in surprise. “Really? Anything?”
I kissed her neck, letting my tongue come out and lick softly, then I sucked on the tender flesh gently. I could feel the effect it had on her and her body arched provocatively into mine. I’d remember this for later. “Anything,” I said, nipping at her collarbone.
“Like, what?” she was teasing, and I was delirious with happiness.
“You mean, beyond shoveling manure?” I asked seriously. Marin nodded and my eyes locked with hers. “Well, I thought I might make love to you every night until you couldn’t take any more. Maybe I’d marry you and father five or six of your kids.” My index finger traced down the side of her face.
I could tell I’d left her speechless. I nudged her top lip with my bottom one. I couldn’t help the smile that lifted the corners of my mouth. She was helpless beneath me and as sore as I was, I was loving it as her hands slid down my back and her heels hooked around my calves.
“Only five or six? Who will father the others?” she asked with a little huffed out laugh.
“As many as you want, but I think we’ll need to practice, first.” I bent to kiss her mouth, my tongue finding its way into the delicious r
ecesses of her mouth. It was a hungry, deep kiss that was beginning to rage out of control. “A lot of practice.”
There was a light rap on the door and in a split second I rolled off of Marin and sat up in a flash. My breathing was hard, and I had a huge bulge in my pants. I grabbed a pillow and quickly put it in my lap.
Marin let out a soft giggle. “Yes?” she called out. “Who is it?”
“It’s just us, Auntie Marin. Mommy says it’s time to eat,” Remi said through the door. “All damsels and princes to the table.”
“Remi, uh,” Dylan’s voice was also out in the hallway and his voice carried through the door. “Enough with that mushy stuff. Tough guys don’t like it.” He sounded irritated. “Uncle Ben’s a tough guy.”
Marin laughed in utter delight and climbed out of bed, walked around to my side of the bed and sat down beside me.
“Can we come in, please?”
Marin lifted the pillow and checked to see if I had myself under control. I smiled hard and she threw the pillow to the side.
“Yep!” she called.
Both kids barreled through the door in a flurry of excitement, both of them speaking at once. “Mom said we could eat before you, Uncle Ben, but I wanted to hear about the fire. Then Uncle Chase said we can have a soccer game in the fields since we can’t go fishing today,” Dylan said, diving at the bed and pouncing on it hard enough to bounce us up and down. “If it’s okay with you two.”
“I wanna show Daddy and Jensey how Dark lays on your lap, Auntie Marin!” Remi moved between us and put one arm around each of our necks.
We both hugged her back and I laid a hand on my nephew’s back who was laying on the
bed behind Marin. “This is something, isn’t it?” I asked the love of my life.
“It’s a slice of heaven,” she confirmed. Her face was glowing and happy.
I kissed the top of Remi’s head as I devoured Marin’s beautiful face with my eyes. I’d never forget this day for as long as I lived. I was the luckiest man on earth.
“We might not be able to go fishing today, but I’ll need you two to teach me how to play soccer, and then after we need your help with other projects!” Marin said.
“Really? With what?” Dylan asked eagerly.
“Well, your Uncle Ben needs help coming up with a name for our new dude ranch, Dylan.”
“Oh, boy! Really? A dude ranch?” He could barely contain his excitement.
“Really!” I confirmed.
“That’s awesome!” Dylan exclaimed. “We can ask Uncle Chase to hold a soccer camp, and we can ride horses, and go fishing and have campfires every night!” Dylan was bursting with excitement. “And I’ll come here every summer and help!”
“What about me? What can I help with?” Remi asked, looking adoringly up into Marin’s face as she took the little girl’s hand in hers.
“I need your special help, Remi.” Marin free hand touched the little girl’s cheek. “Uncle Ben just asked me to marry him, so I need to plan a proper princess event! I hear that you’re an expert.”
Remi’s face lit up. “Yay! Well, the first thing you need is a sparkly dress.” She started jumping up and down and squealing, bouncing the bed as badly as Dylan had. Marin and I both burst out laughing at her exuberance. “See, Dylan! I told ya! Even tough guys need their very own damsel!”
“Uh uh,” Dylan shook his head. “Damsels need tough guys. You got it backwards.”
I grabbed Marin’s hand and threaded my fingers through hers. “Hear that?” I asked, my heart so full I could barely stand it. Happiness wrapped its arms around our little group like a warm hug. “Even tough guys need a damsel.” I gently nudged her shoulder with my own.
Marin’s lips lifted in a brilliant smile. “Well, this damsel needs you.” She leaned in toward me, her chin lifting in a silent request. I was more than willing to oblige. Our lips caressed each other’s in a soft kiss, I took her lower lip in between both of mine, leaning my forehead on Marin’s as the kiss ended.
“Awww, man! More slobbering?” lamented Dylan. “Gross!” He hopped down from the bed and rushed toward the door to head downstairs. “Come on! Let’s go eat and then we can go ride the horses and play with Dark!” He ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Remi’s frowned, getting a little crinkle over her nose, then rolled her eyes. “This is why boys are dumb. They just gotta grow up to get it, right Uncle Ben?”
“How’d you get so smart?” I smiled and touched Remi’s petal soft cheek.
She shrugged. “I was just born that way, I guess.”
“I guess!” I agreed.
Laughing, Marin and I stood up from the bed. Remi reached for my hand to tug me forward. I slid an arm around Marin as we headed down to breakfast.
This was the start of the first day in the rest of our lives.
If you enjoyed this book and would like to help other readers find it or the others in series please consider leaving a review for Kahlen on Amazon and/or Goodreads!
It is truly appreciated!
Trading Yesterday is a series of connected books that may be read as stand-alone novels.
Trading Yesterday
Finding Tomorrow
Embracing Today
Forever & Always (Coming later this year.)
(This is Remi and Dylan’s story, so please sign up for my newsletter or join my reader groups so you don’t miss the pre-order/release!)
MARIN
The Teton Valley Guest Ranch would open in just over a month.
It had taken almost a year, but we were almost ready with reservations lined up all summer thanks to Teagan’s help with social media marketing. Her baby girl, Bliss, was born six months before Missy and Jensen’s baby boy, Joshua, arrived. Dylan got the little brother he’d wished for.
Teagan was at home, caring for the two babies and little Jace, while Jensen and Missy worked full-time, and Chase continued his soccer career. I was still amazed at how well their family dynamic worked. We missed them terribly, but we Skyped often, and they were both adorable.
I Skyped with Dylan and Remi at least twice a week and we texted every day. They were so excited about the ranch and we had arranged for them to spend the entire summer with us. I truly felt like part of their family and it was inexplicable how much I loved each and every one of them.
I’d used the life insurance from Uncle Ben’s settlement to pay off the main house mortgage as he would have wanted and the payout from the shop fire as the investment into the dude ranch. The endeavor was much more expensive that we anticipated, and we found out rather quickly that we needed to raise capital from other investors if it was going to become a reality. It might have been a daunting task however, Missy and Jensen chipped in, but the big bucks came from Chase and Teagan. To save money, we did some of the work ourselves but needed to hire most of it done in order to make the deadline. Chase and Jensen flew out whenever they could to help, and it was amazing how it all came together.
The insurance money was enough to build another stable, a huge metal building that would act as storage for feed, supplies and equipment, and a new barn completed with electrical and heat which would be used to hold events like parties and weddings all year long. It was beautiful and magical inside. All wooden beams and stained wooden floors were varnished and glinting, and fairy lights strung all up in the rafters; something my little Remi insisted on. We had to admit, it was perfect. Skylights provided light inside during the day and an amazing view of the star-filled Wyoming sky at night. There were lofts on both ends overlooking the center floor with stairways leading down from both. Our own wedding was scheduled for next December and I was looking forward to working on the final plans with Remi, Missy, and Teagan this summer, but I could already picture it in my mind.
The twelve new cabins had been built out toward the site of my Uncle Leonard’s auto shop and were arranged in a half circle around a large bonfire area, but that part of the build required another million-dollar investment
.
It had been a joy to design and even put in the hard labor needed to finish in a year. Uncle Leonard’s farmhouse had been completely modernized and a new corral and paddock had been added which were built close to the stables. Both of the stables were now filled with horses. All of those we had boarded, but we also acquired twelve more quarter horses at auction. We’d hired two ranch hands, a cook and cleaning crew. It was all finally coming together. I could sense Ben’s immense sense of pride every time he spoke about it or came in from a hard day’s work.
The insurance company argued the settlement with Carter’s family because it was determined, through the fire commissioner’s investigation, that he contributed to his own death. The shop was full of flammables as would any auto shop, and it was determined that his own carelessness with a lantern and working during a power outage and lightning storm put most of the liability on him. There was also the issue that he was running the business. The insurance would only pay out a fraction of what the policy provided for, and the family was given a copy of the investigative report. It wasn’t ideal, and I was scared of retaliation, but Ben already had an attorney on retainer to file a series of protection orders against Apollo which he’d already violated. Because he was on parole, he was arrested and put back in jail. We both breathed a sigh of relief.
I saddled up Siri and headed out to check on Ben’s progress on the main gate archway. Davis was helping and so I had a thermos of cold lemonade and some chocolate chip cookies tucked away in the saddle bags.
“Tkk tkkk. Come on, Siri. Let’s go find Daddy. Giddy-up.” Siri was still my favorite horse, and she took off in a familiar trot. Her gate was practiced, and I was used to it. It was obvious that she enjoyed getting out on a ride as much as her humans.
Dark was almost a yearling, and close to seven hundred pounds, but he neighed loudly from the pasture, running along the fence until I reached the end of the lane, hoping to follow us.
“Sorry, baby. You can’t come yet.” When he reached the corner of the fence that separated the pasture from the road going north to the edge of the property, he was forced to stop and neighed loudly. Siri’s ears turned toward the sound, but she kept on her course. “One more year and we can start you, Dark. Poor thing. Your baby wants to come with us, Siri.”
